Hat-box.



\ No. 676,274. Patented June Il, |90I.

B. F. PORTER.

- HAT BDX.

lication led Sept. 1

(No Model.)

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BENJAMIN F. PORTER, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO BRIAN Gr. HUGHES, OF SAME PLACE.

HAT-Box.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 676,274, dated June 11, 1901.

Application tiled September 1,1900. Serial No. 28,801. (No model.)

To @M whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. PORTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hat-Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of the invention is to so construct a hat-box or a box designed to hold similar or light articles that the article may be raised at the bottom of the box and be lifted to the top and held in its raised position without handling the article or injuring it in the slightest degree, thus enabling articles of the character mentioned to be brought into position for inspection or for careful removal and also enabling the most delicate article to be safely incased.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will vbe hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved box, illustrating the auxiliary bottom elevated. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the box, the auxiliary bottom being in its lower position; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken practically on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, illustrating the auxiliary bottom in positive lines in its lower position and in dotted lines in its elevated position.

The box A is shown as rectangular, although it may be of any desired shape, and the box may be made from any suitable material. The box is open at its top and closed at its sides, ends, and bottom, and within the box an auxiliary bottom B is loosely fitted, which bottom when the box is adapted to receive a hat is provided with a central raised section 10.

The auxiliary bottom Bis provided near each longitudinal edge with two apertures or eyelets 11, located one at each side of the center of said bottom, as is best shown in Fig. 2. A cord 12 extends along the under face of the auxiliary bottom B and up through the eyelets 11, thus providing two parallel strands below-the false or auxiliary bottom, and after the cords are passed up through the eyelets 11 they are passed through eyelets 13 and 13a, made in the sides of the box A near its upper edge, and the outer portions of the cord are formed in loops 14. These loops are quite close to the outer face of the box A when the auxiliary bottom B is in its lower position, asf

shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and extend some distance from the sides of the box when the auxiliary bottom B is in its upper position, as shown in Fig. l.

lVhen the auxiliary bottom B has been drawn to its upper position by drawingout- Ward on the loops 14, the auxiliary bottom will rest upon cleats 15, attached to the inner side faces of the box, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The inner faces of the cleats 15 are tapering, inclining from the top downward and outward. The side edges of the auxiliary bottom will readily pass up the inclined faces of the cleats, and the sides of the box yielding in an outward direction permit the auxiliary bottom to readily pass to and rest upon the top faces of the cleats, as is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The article carried by the auxiliary bottom is now brought to such a position that it may be readily removed or may be inspected without removal.

-When a delicate article is to be placed in the box, the auxiliary bottom is brought to its upper position, the article is laid thereon, and the sides of the box are sprung slightly outward, whereupon the auxiliary bottom will drop to its lower position, guided by the loops 14. Strings 16 are shown attached to the ends of the box, which serve to hold the cover 17 upon the body of the box.

Having thus. described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In a box, the combination, with the body thereof provided with apertures in opposite sides and an auxiliary bottom loosely mounted in the said body vand having openings in two opposite sides, of cords having parallel strands passed beneath and up through the openings of the auxiliary bottom, and out through the apertures in the sides of the body of the box, the outer ends of the said cords Ico .being formed into loops, and oleats located upon the inner faces of the sides of the boxbody, Which cleats have tapering inner faces inclining from the top downwardly and out- Wardly, the upper faces of the cleats being adapted to support the said auxiliary bottom When the lather is in its elevated position, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of lo two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN E. PORTER.

XVitnesses:

J. FRED. ACKER, BRIANl G. HUGHES. 

